With nine players suffering from COVID-19, and six others who are injured in the medium to long term, the Canadian left for Tampa with a messed up training as rarely before.
By excluding players from the reserve squad, resuscitated on Sunday in order to allow teams to have an increased workforce in the event of outbreaks of the coronavirus, now 9 of the 20 players who should be in uniform on Tuesday have started the season in the American League or have played the majority of their games there.
The Canadian in training
In attack
Drouin-Suzuki-Gallagher
Belzile-Evans-Ylönen
Harvey-Pinard-Poehling-Caufield
Pezzetta-Paquette-Vejdemo
In defense
Romanov-Savard
Kulak-Clague
Schueneman-Niku
In front of the net
Primeau
Montembeault
Adding the names of forwards Brandon Baddock and Cam Hillis, as well as defenseman Gianni Fairbrother and goaltender Michael McNiven, who currently constitute the reserve squad, the team on the ice in training looked more like at the Laval Rocket than at the Montreal Canadiens.
Yet it is this group that will face the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Champions also weakened by COVID-19 and injuries, it is true, but whose arsenal will be much better off than that of visitors.
If no positive case of COVID is added, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Corey Schueneman will therefore play the first game of their career in the NHL. And only 5 out of 20 players will arrive with experience greater than 100 games in the big league.
“Good chances”
After having lucidly explained that his team would “try to get through”, David Savard, on a more positive note, recalled that the situation certainly gave the opportunity to “certain young people to prove themselves, to put their name on the card. “. “These guys have a good chance, they have to take advantage of it to gain experience. Next year, they’ll be pushing for jobs. ”
The one who becomes, de facto, the No. 1 defenseman of the Canadian also said that the responsibility fell, more than ever, to the few remaining veterans to “get everyone in the boat”.
“You have to train and perform as best you can with the staff you have … You have to go back to basics, compete, want more than [l’adversaire]. We will try to give ourselves a chance to win. ”
Dominique Ducharme agreed, adding the importance of “blocking everything outside” and “only focusing on what can be done”.
Asked about the challenge of instilling a little coherence within this heterogeneous group, the head coach stressed on the one hand that “these players were at training camp with us”, and on the other hand that the work of his counterpart Jean-François Houle, at the Rocket de Laval, was part of his “continuity”.
“Without it being identical in all situations […], there must not be too great an adjustment to be made for the players when they leave Laval for Montreal. We will try to simplify that even more, ”said Ducharme.
In short
Unprecedented situation
In the circumstances we know, with all the players unavailable as well as those who have been recalled to join the reserve squad or the main club, the Canadian finds himself in an unprecedented situation: by excluding aged players. junior or those in Europe, only two contract skaters can still be recalled from the Laval Rocket, forward Jean-Sébastien Dea and defender Louis Belpedio. All the other players of the Rocket have a contract of the American League, and all the goaltenders having a contract with the organization are presently in the entourage of the CH. If we got to the end of this list, then we could award an emergency contract to a player who does not play in the NHL.
Price needs to see his doctor
Carey Price was not spotted on the ice Monday morning and he will not be accompanying his team for his three games in Florida and Carolina. This does not prevent his rehabilitation after knee surgery “continues”, according to Dominique Ducharme. The caretaker is due to speak with his doctor shortly. As the latter is in New York, the meeting was to take place in “face-to-face” on the occasion of the CH’s visit to the region before Christmas, but it could not take place after the games on the schedule had. been postponed. “The meeting will take place virtually and we’ll see from there,” said Ducharme. No return to play date has yet been put forward for Price, who has yet to participate in full training with his teammates this season.